Arlington Gets Its Turn With the Stanley Cup

It may have taken 126 years for the Stanley Cup to come to Arlington, but it was well worth the wait.

A bit more than a week after winning the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup, the Washington Capitals started their summer celebration with the Arlington County Police Department on June 15. It was an opportunity for police personnel to visit with Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and team captain Alex Ovechkin — and, of course, to get their photo with the Cup.

“We can’t thank you enough,” Leonsis said. “We wanted to make sure that we had the opportunity to bring the Cup here, get some pictures and share in the joy.”

While they obviously play their home games in Washington, D.C., the Capitals have called Arlington their second home since 2006, when they moved their practice facility to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston.

First stop on the #StanleyCup tour of the area: an Arlington County Police Station right down the road from Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Owner Ted Leonsis said he wanted to make sure the Cup made its way here. #ALLCAPSpic.twitter.com/7E1V7FYnRF

“We wanted to make sure that we had the opportunity to bring the Cup here … and share in the joy.”

After their visit with ACPD, Leonsis, Ovechkin and the Cup visited children in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and then stopped by the Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Southeast Washington, D.C.; the Fort Dupont Cannons is the oldest minority youth hockey program in North America.

On December 18, 2018, family, friends, and fellow officers gathered to celebrate the graduation of Session 139 from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy (NVCJA), who took their oath to serve and protect the residents of Arlington County.